ITALIAN SICILIAN PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR / MAY 2024

Day One begins just outside the beautiful seaside town of Cefalù  where you’ll enjoy a welcome dinner at the stunning Blue Bay hotel overlooking the Mediterranean’s clear blue waters, distance to Cefalù, an Arab- Norman architectural masterpiece. The squares, streets and churches of this medieval town are amazingly picturesque and was chosen by director Giuseppe Tornatore to shoot the much-loved Academy Award-winning film Cinema Paradiso.

On Day Two you’ll explore further Cefalù, one of the true jewels of the Sicilian coast. This prime coastal town was settled by the Sikels, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs long before the Normans arrived in the 11th Century. You’ll find yourself getting lost in its beautiful light and you’ll feel caught up in ancient history when you are surrounded by Cefalù’s architectural mystery. In 2016, il Duomo di Cefalù (the Cathedral of Cefalù) — widely known and admired for its mosaics including the dominant Christ Pantokrator mosaic —  became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. All of this creates a very dramatic backdrop for all aspects of your photography.

For Day 3, you’ll travel up into the magnificent Madoni mountain range and explore the town of Polizzi Generosa (Santino’s home town) which dates to 6 BC. You’ll spend many pleasant hours photographing this quaint town with its beautiful panoramic position overlooking the southern and northern sides of the Imera valley. During the day, you will visit fourth-generation ceramic artist Giovanni Dangelo at his unique family studio where he is pushing the artistic envelope and challenging traditional local ceramic styles.

This picturesque town of Poggioreale was hit by an earthquake, Sicilians call this place their modern-day Pompeii. It’s an open-air museum where the architecture has resisted nature’s ravages. Buildings of golden stone façades shine in the sunlight while colorful walls and ceilings stand out amid fallen trees, moss and rubble.

Local outing and critique day.

Day 6. Like Sicily, the incredible city of Palermo is literally at the crossroads of civilizations, delivering a heady, heavily spiced mix of Byzantine mosaics, Arabesque domes and frescoed cupolas. This is a city at the edge of Europe and at the center of the ancient world, a place where outdoor markets rub against baroque churches, where date palms frame Gothic palaces and where the blue-eyed and the fair-haired have bronze-skinned cousins. Busy markets include the central Ballarò street market and the Vucciria, located near the port. The city’s crumbling staircases lead to gilded ballrooms and guarded locals harbor hearts of gold. Despite its noisy streets, Sicily’s largest city is a shy beast, rewarding the inquisitive with citrus-filled cloisters, stucco-laced chapels and vintage stores filled with the threads of faded aristocrats where you might just find yourself suddenly and unexpectedly in love at any turn.

On Day 7, you will travel back in time to the Temple of Gods in Selinunte, where you will find some of the most outstanding examples of ancient Greek art and architecture. This archaeological park is one of the main attractions of Sicily and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll be amazed as you walk through these majestic yellow sandstone structures as they are illuminated in the golden hues of the sinking sun.

Local outing and critique day.

On Day 9,

Castelbuno & Pollina both small town are nestled in the valleys of the Madonie Mountains, where donkeys are used to collect recycled waste. There is a beautiful serenity in the winding streets of Castelbuono & Pollina, a serenity that is difficult to find in the chaos of 21st-century human society.

Returning late afternoon to Cefalu to capture a final sunset in this picturesque medieval seaside town with its many perspectives shades of hues and tones….The perfect ending to an enriching photographic adventure!

On Day 10, we meet for breakfast, we say our goodby’s and head to the airport for your flight back home or further destination.